


the face our mirror shows us

by fundamentalBlue



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Dark Steve Rogers, Dark fluff, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, HEA in a manner of speaking, M/M, Manipulation, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Omega Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:34:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24520921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fundamentalBlue/pseuds/fundamentalBlue
Summary: Steve wants.It’s a pain that wrenches his insides, pulls him forward in his reverie about Tony, into the cavernous insides of Steve’s true yearning.Steve would give anything to see Tony as a compliant, delicate Omega.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 46
Kudos: 361
Collections: Stony*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Alter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1129505) by [luvkurai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/luvkurai/pseuds/luvkurai). 



> This is not healthy. This is not right. There are no excuses for Steve’s behavior. Even though Tony did some bad things, Steve’s choice on how that should be handled is not good. If you don’t like reading dark fic, don’t read this. 
> 
> I wanted to say thanks to resurrectedhippo and vexedbeverage for their incredible alpha skills and support! Slythieamour's beta for this fic was crucial at correcting all my terrible tense changes. Thank you!!!

Steve is lonely.

He paints, he works for SHIELD, he rides his bike, he cooks, he has Bucky, and still, still, in the twilight hours he lays awake and scrutinizes what he’s missing. There is no discontent in the materials of his world—every night now he’s warm and detached from his formerly ice-filled dreams. Sleek covers lay tightly fitted to the mattress under his body, and if anything, he’s comfortable. Which is just another word for complacent.

Peggy is a distant memory, but the loss of control over his fate with her lingers. He’s over her, but he’s not over the helplessness. Helping Bucky fix that yawning need inside him to make things right. But now there’s no Winter Soldier to hunt, and finally, Bucky is starting to act like his old self again. This is supposed to be the life he’d bargained for, lied to Tony for. What more is there? There must be something.

Unbidden, the image of Tony plays in his head from their last mission.

Can't one human being not like another human being? Can't we all just not get along?

Steve is tired. So tired. Mostly of Tony’s mouth and his sharp Alpha scent that permeates the room any time he’s near Steve. No one else notices it like he does: the musky smell of cardamom, black pepper and cedar, leathery and too-hot. No one else is affected by it like Steve is.

It’s not that he thinks anything is wrong with Alpha-Alpha relationships, but there’s something off about them, together. Moments when Steve could smell the arousal on Tony, and himself, but they never quite tipped over that fathomless edge. The business of Alpha-Alpha partnerships is difficult, anyway. It’s bad form to assume that a worked up Alpha means they are attracted to another Alpha. Steve gets worked up sometimes too. Though he doesn’t know why he sometimes imagines Tony under him, pliant and sweet like an Omega.

An Omega.

Steve rubs at his fatigued eyes, trying to get them to at least feel like he wants to close them and rest. His burgeoning hard-on is an uncomfortable addition to what is already a fraught bedtime routine. But at this point, he’s not going to stop himself. Whatever his mind wants to come up with has to be better than contemplating his bleak existence as a ghost in Stark’s Tower when he’s not being an Avenger. His routines have become rituals to nothing, meaningless even as they sustain his reality.

God, he aches. He’s been trying to avoid touching himself, but in quiet moments his hand strays down his abs and under the waistband of his sweats. First, he thinks of Peggy, her red lips, and enigmatic eyes. She glides down his torso in a way she was never able to when she was alive, but the very thought of her, cold, in a hospital bed stifles him. Those brown eyes warp and change out from under him, his fantasy hijacked by an amber abyss with soft fronds of lashes all around. There're crinkles at the corners of this pair of eyes, and there’s a smile there that filters into Steve’s mind with a compunction that has him heating in shame. Tony follows the trail that Peggy would have taken, wrapping a calloused hand around Steve as he outright leers.

He can’t be thinking about this. About Tony.

Looking down at his elongated cock, he reconsiders that maybe it’s just a fantasy. It doesn’t have to be real. Tony is an Alpha and Steve is an Alpha and they will never be. He fists his dick then, feeling the tell-tale puff of his knot under his knuckles as he begins to jerk his hand forward. Tony is hovering outside of his consciousness, waiting for a way in, and Steve lets it happen. Lets Tony slither into his seams and deposit himself there.

In his mind, the leathery scent of Tony has turned to the sweetness of amber, the black pepper heightening and becoming a tart citrus, and the cedar becoming the secretive, woody scent of sandalwood. These are not Alpha scents, and in his mind, Tony is on all fours, presenting to Steve. His hole is slick and open while Tony’s mouth does its best imitation of his ass, drooling and agape.

Steve wants.

It’s a pain that wrenches his insides, pulls him forward in his reverie about Tony, into the cavernous insides of Steve’s true yearning.

Steve would give anything to see Tony as a compliant, delicate Omega.

The integrity of this daydream falters under his hands. He stutters for a moment, his cock softening even though the very thought of Tony like that arouses him more than anything ever has.

So he allows himself this. He shuts away his discomfort. He leans into his arousal, letting it color in the lines of his thoughts.

Tony is agreeable, his teasing a choreographed dance meant to entice Steve into the chase. It doesn’t grate, or make him feel inadequate. The sly smile that lives perpetually in the corner of Tony’s dusky pink mouth is an invitation, not a challenge.

And just like that, he comes, the image of Tony blissed-out underneath him staring back.

When Steve looks back, he’ll wonder why he didn’t think of this sooner. How long had this been haunting him without Steve knowing the shape of the specter?

Tony should have been born an Omega.

Surely what’s best for Tony plays into this equation?

Because if you asked anyone, Tony needs a minder, someone to care for him. And not in the way Omegas typically care for their Alphas. Again, Steve isn’t against the breaking of gender norms; he couldn’t care less who cooks, does the dishes, laundry, etc. He just thinks that if Tony were an Omega, his Alpha would regulate those bursts of manic energy. Fuck it right out of him.

And oh god, Steve really believes this, he realizes. The conviction he’s holding is that there’s been a grievous error with Tony. Something so wrong, that it would be a crime to not do something.

But what can Steve do?

\--

“Bucky, I– I have some questions.” There’s no need to corner Bucky; they’ve been friends for so long, and with Bucky on the mend, there’s more between them than there had been when they were so young and in the midst of war. Yet, he corners him anyway after a training session.

Bucky isn’t fooled by anything, and he side-eyes Steve with what looks like apprehension. Steve gets it. His behavior is off from his usual.

“Get to it, sport.” Bucky is toweling off his hair that’s limp with sweat before he drags the rag down his arms and chest. At one point, Bucky had been a beta, but Hydra had changed all of that. Very recently, Bucky had had a surgery to help correct some of the issues with the change that Hydra hadn’t seen fit to do.

Mainly, that Bucky, as an Alpha, needed to be able to knot. Invasive, expensive, and profoundly painful in its recovery, Bucky had chosen to undergo the procedure to become a full-fledged Alpha.

Since then, a lot of the agitation had drained from his friend’s body, like having a knot had solidified that Bucky would recover and become something of the man he once was. Steve was just happy to have his friend back.

“What made you decide to stay being an Alpha?” His words were rushed, spilling as if he couldn’t get them out fast enough. Once they’re in the air, Steve wants to dissociate from them; he can’t own them. He considers running away now without waiting for the answer, but Bucky has stopped his movements and has set his piercing dark-blue eyes onto Steve.

“Why do you ask?” It’s casual, and anything but.

“I just– I just wanted to know.” He twists his fingers with his other hand before dropping them, and gazing back at his friend. There is nothing wrong. He’s not done anything, and he’s not going to do anything. He just wants to know.

“You thinking of switching your designation?”

“No, no, no– I– um.” This was a bad idea of all kinds. He should go. He turns to leave, and Bucky’s arm shoots out, grabbing his bicep and holding onto it so that Steve would have to twist his arm to escape.

“Stevie, what are you getting yourself into here?” Terror strikes Steve then. Bucky’s going to think awful things of him if he finds out what Steve is thinking. He’ll think Steve is being nosy and maybe self-interested. But because Steve is here, and even though he isn’t committed to telling Bucky his innermost thoughts, he will anyway. That’s what they are to each other, and it means the world to Steve. Not betraying that principle is more important than the morality of the kinds of thoughts he’s having.

“I don’t know, Bucky. I don’t even know.” He rubs his face into his hands before clearing his throat. Blowing out his breath, he looks off at a point behind Bucky. He feels wrung out from thinking about Tony. He doesn’t know exactly how this is going to come together. It’s all by the seat of his pants, his hopes pinned on Bucky helping him out.

“Come on, punk, let’s talk over it in my room.” Bucky adjusts his hand so it lays on Steve’s shoulder, pulling him closer. Tilting his head as Steve pauses, Bucky squeezes just the barest amount, reminding Steve to speak up.

“No, lunch.” JARVIS. How could he forget about JARVIS? He hasn’t revealed anything yet, so he’s as safe as it gets. He measures his own heart rate increasing, and he knows Bucky can also hear it with his enhanced abilities. Steve wants Tony in all the wrong ways, but he’s down in this now, committed, even if he has to look elsewhere to make what needs to happen, happen.

Bucky goes to shower and so does Steve before they meet in the Penthouse common area. Tony and Bruce are in their respective workshops, per usual, while Nat and Clint are playing “darts,” which turns out to be knife throwing. Thor is off-world. The tower never feels quite empty, but in times like these, there’s a quiet that settles over each floor. Like Steve can hear every bit of noise. It sets him on edge more than when there’s movie night or some other gathering, and the sounds become a blur.

“Diner across the street?” Bucky nods and they make for the elevator. They don’t talk on the way down, Bucky, per usual, sensing that Steve isn’t going to open up until he feels that he’s in a secure place. It’s good to have such a close friend, and Steve is grateful that he’s had the opportunity to have a second chance with Bucky.

Settling into the booth, Steve initiates blackout with JARVIS. Then Steve haltingly starts to tell Bucky his thoughts: It’s clear Tony isn’t a stable Alpha. He assaults with impunity. Nothing in the past has worked to stem the tide of Tony’s anger when he’s in a rut, or even just a bad mood. But as an Omega, all of that would change. Because then Tony could find someone to take care of him. Bucky and Steve are both Alphas who have both been on the periphery of these events. They both know, and suspect, times when Tony has hurt Pepper. Any good Alpha wouldn’t use their designation to harm those who are supposed to be in their care. As he says it aloud, he feels more and more that it’s a solid plan. He’d thought that admitting it would reduce some of the magic in the idea, detract from what the end result might look like. Instead, it feels like the future is alive and more powerful than ever.

“Wow. That’s– wow. Stevie…” His friend is picking at his food, his mouth opening and closing like he wants to say more, but can’t. Steve can’t say that Bucky would never judge him, but at the very least Bucky would keep his secrets. It makes him sag against the back of the booth in relief.

“Is it possible to do?” Steve has his palms flat on the table, waiting with bated breath to know if this is an option for him. He’s heard of people transitioning to Alpha. A lot of betas give it more than a second thought. But transitioning to Omega? It’s uncommon enough that Steve isn’t sure about it at all. Omegas have more rights than ever, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that there’s still discrimination and even sex-trade issues. Now, Steve is a believer that Alphas aren’t entitled to Omegas. If Tony transitions and he doesn’t want Steve, he’s going to accept that. Maybe not lying down, but he will.

“Yeah, yeah it is.” Bucky finally admits after a long silence. Hope blossoms inside, and the elation that fills his being brings along images of Tony. Tony swaddled warm in Steve’s bed, Tony’s fingers tracing Steve’s abs, Tony’s hot little mouth yielding under Steve’s. Yes, Tony was meant to be an Omega, with his doe-brown eyes and Ganymede hips.

“So you can you get pills?” The idea is fire now, burning through his mind and seeking all the places where Tony has damaged their relationship. Those things can be repaired now. They can’t be saved, but they can be regrown with a new identity for Tony. Steve just knows it.

“Yeah, I could. But there’s a lot to this. I know beta or Alpha to Omega is the easiest change, but the change is still not easy.” These are just details to Steve. If it’s doable, then it’s almost certainly the right choice. Now to get Tony to accept that himself. Steve hasn’t even gotten to that part yet, so overwhelmed with having the potential to solve this problem between them, between Tony and the world.

“Easier than Tony is now?” Because Tony’s ruts are worse than unpleasant. He’s no longer allowed in his workshop or anywhere but his room when one comes on. Sometimes Pepper, a beta, joins him. Other times she won’t even go into his room. An interior decorator comes once every three months to repair the damage Tony does. If the man weren’t so obscenely wealthy, there would have been consequences long before this point.

But the money hides it. It hides his violent rages and lack of control while he’s in a rut.

Steve, with Bucky’s help, can permanently fix this.

“Ok, fair point. Have you talked to him though? Does he want this?” Bucky asks.

Steve is silent. This is the crux of the matter with Bucky. Steve is no expert at navigating the line between telling as much of the truth as he can without dooming his cause.

“Oh, Stevie. You have to talk to him.” The devastated look on Bucky’s face causes Steve to look out the window of the diner towards the tower.

The tower is a steel monument to Tony, and Steve thinks the sharp angles and modern lines are synonymous with the way Tony hides himself in the minutiae of what he creates. Somewhere between those contours is Tony, waiting. Tony must be as lonely as Steve is. The man exhibits all the classic signs of social deprivation, isolation. Steve understands this, has understood it, and now it’s drawing him in like a magnet, all these things that are wrong with Tony. That could be fixed just by just a few pills.

Tony would never have to conceal himself again. Not with Steve. Steve would always be there to protect him from the way the world seems to ravage Tony’s sensitivities.

But, he knows he should talk to Tony. Tell him his theory. Though if he does, and Tony says no, what then? Steve can’t tolerate failure, and he’s fixated onto this idea now. It’s not even for Steve; it’s for Tony’s sake.

“Do I? Spontaneous designation changes are rare, but they do happen. I looked it up.” He turns back to Bucky who is idly picking at his burger bun, tossing little bread pieces onto the plate.

“So you’re going to take his choice away?” Bucky’s voice is flat, and Steve knows he’s treading on unsteady ground. What Hydra did to Bucky was awful, but at the end of it, Bucky has come out stronger and more balanced than the man he once knew in the 40s. It’s more than a silver lining; Bucky is free. Like Steve was made free when Erskine used the formula on him.

Maybe he should have asked Nat. He’s not quite sure of her feelings on the matter, but she is an impartial ear at the least. And she knows how bad Tony’s ruts have been in the past. Bucky is really only a recent guest at the tower.

“I’m not doing this to hurt him. He’s hurting himself, every day.” The truth of this must ring through Steve’s tone, because Bucky looks back at Steve with his lips twisted to the side and his eyes evaluating instead of displaying any kind of solemn dismissal.

“I’ll tell you what. I’m going to finish my drink and my fries, and then I’m going to get up from this booth and pretend we never had this conversation. Clear?” His friend shoves the last of his fries into his mouth, gets up, and does just what he said, the door clanging shut behind him.

Steve gently squeezes the table under his hands, trying not to break it. That didn’t go well. He’d been so sure he hadn’t misread Bucky’s expression. So now he has to consider the fact that Bucky could be right. That even if Tony turns into a monster while he’s in a rut, that he’s lonely and unhappy, is no justification to change his whole life permanently. Besides, Tony could just change it back. Which is more of a point in Steve’s column than it is Tony’s.

Steve’s heart swoops down to the bottom of his stomach. All of his best-laid plans, going to waste. The version of Tony in his head gives a sly smile, as if Tony himself knows that he’s unattainable. It makes Steve burn all the more for want of him.

But Bucky is right. He has to be, because there’s no way Tony would ever agree. And Steve supposes he should get Tony to be on board with this. Even if a designation change would be the most prudent choice for Tony.

With a sigh, Steve leaves two 20s on the table and walks out.

\--

“Pepper, let me out.” There’s a dull crash against the door, and it wiggles on its hinges, edges smacking the reinforced metal frame. Pepper is huddling against the wall, her hand clutched to her head, her shirt in disarray. He wants to help, but he isn’t sure if it’s his place and doesn’t know what to do. Steve also feels a pang of jealousy at the idea of Tony attempting to disrobe Pepper.

Steve’s resignation at not being able to help Tony does nothing for the appearances that Tony keeps making in his head. It’s worse, with the rut, as the stink of it fills up the hall. Steve envisions Tony on Steve’s bed, legs rucked up around his head, all that energy channeled into the sweet cries that leave Tony’s mouth. Steve is never going to hear them, and the realization hits him with juddering harshness.

“Let me see,” Natasha says as she leans over Pepper. Steve is trying to stand away from the door so his scent doesn’t leak into Tony’s room, but honestly, the smell of Tony is so overwhelmingly strong that he doesn’t think Tony can tell anyone else is there. He’s also worried that more Alpha scent might be worse for Pepper right now. Beta’s sense of smell isn’t very good, but the hallway stinks of Nat, Bucky, and Steve, their stressed hormones blanketing the enclosed space. There’s no way she can’t scent it. As for Tony, he’s lost to his rut, which started a few days ago. Of course, Tony hadn’t put it on the schedule, so he had managed to bark at some interns and give a board member the bird before Pepper realized what was up.

And that was just the beginning.

From there, Pepper had tried to comfort Tony, offering to play Omega as much as she could despite being a beta herself. Steve has always thought the majority of their problems derived from their mismatched designations. An Alpha couldn’t physically knot a beta without proper preparation, otherwise there was a risk of internal bleeding. Having to knot outside the body during rut was painful, but necessary if you didn’t have the right genitalia to match with. Tony was just the exception that couldn’t deal with ruts well. Steve and Bucky handled it just fine, finding moderate discomfort better than seeking a rut service.

“He just got a chunk of my hair, that’s all,” Pepper whispered.

“Just a– I’ll fucking kill him.” Nat stood at attention then, eyes glued to the door that was still jiggling as Tony tossed himself bodily against it. The room inside would be destroyed by the end, bedding clawed up and clothes torn to shreds. This was a particularly bad one by Steve’s estimates. He usually didn’t get violent with Pepper.

Bucky remained silent, but kept trying to make eye contact with Steve. Steve, in his embarrassment for the previous week’s conversation, avoided meeting Bucky’s eyes. But he can see that Bucky is riled, unhappy about Pepper’s treatment.

Tony slammed against the door once more before going silent. Despite his silence, they all knew it wasn’t over. Tony’s mischievous nature turned deviant when he was in rut, and the silence could no more be trusted than his tantrums. If anything, he was probably looking for tools to take the door off its hinges.

Pepper stood up then, hand to head, before walking away from Tony’s door.

“Don’t you dare leave! You can’t leave me like this in here!” Tony was almost screaming, the rage palpable to everyone. The door vibrated with the impact of Tony’s fists slamming against it, each bang making Steve flinch.

“He needs help.” Nat looked at Steve, and he could feel his lips twitch involuntarily at the grimace on her face. Steve turned to Bucky then, pleading on his face. He had to try.

Because this was ridiculous. Every three months everyone in the tower went through this. Tony was apologetic after, showering Pepper with gifts and the like. He’d make Clint some more arrows, or construct an interesting fabric for Widow’s skin-tight outfit. Heck, he’d even repair Bucky’s arm. Such was the extent of his apparent regret. Yet without fail, Tony had violent ruts. Ruts that he did nothing to appease.

He didn’t rent an Omega for fear of how he would act. But not doing so was making it worse. And if Steve had to hazard a guess, it was more about losing control than it was about the hormones themselves. Tony’s life was a cycle of exercising control to the point of losing focus and restraint. He opted out of so many of the options that might have helped him, he couldn’t help but act out. Steve knew Tony had trouble accepting help in any capacity. He suspected that Tony was afraid of what people might find out about him. Which was something he must have learned at Howard’s knee. But not even Howard was as prone to spiraling into poor decision after poor decision as Tony was.

“Nat, I don’t think he’ll accept my help.”

“So we’re just going to keep enabling him until he hurts Pepper? Or someone else? I thought you were better than that.” She stalks off at that, leaving Steve and Bucky looking at the closed door. Tony was growling now; he’d likely sensed the two Alphas on the other side.

“It’s just a few days,” Bucky says. But even he doesn’t seem to mean it.

\--

“There’s six pills. Spaced out a week each. He should take them with food. When the last pill hits, he’ll go into a dry heat. Are you ready for that?” They’re at the diner again, JARVIS on blackout. Bucky is obviously agitated. It’s been a week since Tony’s rut, and he’s made the apology rounds per usual, his worn-out face gracing each of their doorways as he mumbles through his sorries and his won’t-happen-again’s that everyone knows will mean nothing come three months from now. This time it feels worn out, the exhaustion seeping into everyone, including Tony.

Steve can’t imagine that Tony likes himself very much right now.

Pepper has a hair extension in from where he got a hold of a large tuft of her hair. She also has an entirely new set of heels for every day of the month. Steve thinks it’s vulgar to buy someone’s forgiveness, but he understands that Tony doesn’t know how to be emotionally available and he can’t promise he won’t do it again. Now that Bucky is on board, Tony won’t have to deal with these erratic mood swings in rut. His heat will make him tractable. Steve imagines that Tony will be sweet, the kind of Omega who wants to cuddle and be touched. Tony hasn’t had enough of that in his life.

Maybe Tony was always meant to be an Omega. It’s possible something happened in the womb. He wouldn’t have put it past Howard to give his Omega wife a sufficient dose of hormones to ensure the designation of his child. He’s heard stories of it not being as good of an idea in practice, but if anyone could have worked that out, it would have been Howard.

“I’m ready for this Bucky. We’re doing the right thing.” Bucky stills for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an orange bottle with a white cap, label dirty from being rubbed, and tossed around in pockets.

“Talk to Tony, ok?” He smacks the bottle on the table in front of him, and Steve makes to swipe it away before Bucky can change his mind. Bucky grabs tighter to the bottle as Steve closes his fingers around Bucky’s fist.

“And if he says no?” Steve locks eyes with Bucky, trying to suss out what his friend might be thinking. These pills are the key to what Tony needs. If Steve has to, he’ll go elsewhere. He knows that about himself now, that it’s become critical to help Tony even if Bucky isn’t involved. But having Bucky at his back would be preferable.

“Then give the pills back and we’ll think of something else.” Bucky releases the bottle to Steve, slouching back down into the booth as if he regrets it. Contemplative, Bucky rubs his jawline, scruffing his hands against his 5 o’clock shadow.

In Steve’s hands is Tony’s future. Their future. These six little pills are going to free Tony.

“I’ll try, but you know how he is after his ruts.” Steve thinks that Bucky is beginning to understand, even if he doesn’t want to. This is what Tony needs to have happen to him. As an Omega, he’ll be more stable and emotionally even. Once he’s bonded, hopefully to Steve, it’ll alter the dynamic of the Avengers for the better. A bonded Omega is a happy Omega, if they are treated well and loved. Omegas are the heart of a group, and they’ve sorely needed one to provide harmony in their ranks.

Steve intends to ensure that happens, no matter who Tony picks as his Alpha.

But right now, Bucky wants Steve to promise to return the pills if Tony says no. And he can’t.

The only promises Steve makes are to Tony.

\--

This is what not restraining your dreams feels like, thinks Steve.

Once a week. A day is all the space he needs to get Tony to take the pills. Steve crushes them up and adds them to Tony’s favorite foods that he delivers to Tony personally. It’s so easy, that the means seem to justify themselves.

He stops by this little Italian place that Tony loves and orders a carbonara for Tony and spaghetti and meatballs for himself, one serving for here and another to-go. He’s not picky, and nor is Tony when it comes down to it.

Now comes the tricky part, which is getting the pill into the food without anyone noticing. He can’t do it in the tower, so he’s decided to eat at the restaurant. The waiter brings his dish and a bag with his and Tony’s food. He plops it in the booth next to him and proceeds to crack open the capsule and use his fork to stir it into the carbonara.

No one notices that he can see, and he thinks that this might be doable for the long-term. Once he’s done with his dish, he pays, grabs the bag, and makes his way to the tower.

Every time Tony’s rut happens, Tony mopes in his workshop for at least two weeks before he shows his face around the common areas again. That’s about how long it takes for his shame to wear away and for the others to stop avoiding Tony themselves. Tony is still there when Steve asks JARVIS for an update on Tony’s location.

Heading down in the elevator, he clutches the bag close, hands sweating on and fingers crinkling the brown paper. He likes to think this is the turning point, but he knows that he’s committed as soon as he realized that Tony will be healthier and happier this way. The future has an inevitability about it that makes him feel confident, content.

Steve has considered offering the choice to Tony, but he can’t trust that the man will be reasonable. In the end, even Bucky will support him. This is a kindness to Tony.

The doors open to the room and there’s Tony, hunched over equipment that has streams of wires hanging from it. He’s filthy, jeans slung low on his hips, his boxers peeking out the front and back of his pants, soldering iron in his hands. There wasn’t much to say about the tank top he had on, because at this point it was mostly grimed from working in the bowels of some machinery. Tony keeps spare shirts on hand like he did terry cloth, but he so rarely changes into them. It warms Steve to think that sometime soon, he’ll be peeling those off of Tony, bathing him, and tucking him into Steve’s bed.

Tony would grumble and whine, but acquiesce like the darling Omega he is. And then Steve will placate him with a knot. It’s the perfect vision.

Steve watches Tony wipe his face with his forearm, streaking more grease onto his cheek.

“Sir–” JARVIS tries to announce Steve’s presence, but Tony barrels on with his work.

“JARVIS, electricity to subsystem B5, ping the server to test the latency while running five hundred thousand tasks on the processor.”

“Sir, it’s still at 20ms and a max out of tasks at three hundred thousand and change.”

“Dammit! My processor is leaking voltage. JARVIS, I think this thing has fallen prey to cosmic rays, the kind that do not turn you into a superhero. Why does hardware have to be persistently hateful?” Steve smiles as Tony kicks the side of the machine and continues mumbling, something about seducing someone on the compiler team.

“Tony,” he calls. Tony perks up, dropping the stained towel he’s wiping his hands with.

“Oh, gimme gimme.” He trots over to Steve, making his grabby hands, which is unfairly adorable and makes Steve want to pet his soft-looking hair. Steve watches avidly as Tony demolishes the carbonara, noodles disappearing so fast that Steve can’t believe he’s even tasting the food.

This is a critical moment. The beginning of everything that is to come. Effects should come slowly, a submissive gesture here and a subtle softening of Tony’s sharp angles there. Steve thinks of how beautiful Tony will look when he fills out. Tony hasn’t been eating enough, but as an Omega, he’ll be more apt to accept the care he needs. Steve is going to feed him until the anemic look of his frame goes away and is replaced by something lean but soft.

Then there’s the issue of sleep. Tony doesn’t get nearly enough of it. Steve is going to fix that too, restricting the amount of caffeine Tony takes in. When he’s malleable from the hormones, they’ll work on all these things. Steve can’t wait to start.

His plan of attack involves delicate touches to the arms and shoulders, his fingers drifting closer to where Tony’s glands are. The first pill shouldn’t be immediately noticeable to Tony, but Steve will see the results when he caresses him. These will be light, tender, and quick movements. Nothing lingering. Only grounding.

“Steve, that was fucking amazing. Are you going to eat that? What is it? Oh, did you get any garlic bread? You gotta try that next time–”

“I’m working on it Tony.” Steve suppresses a laugh and takes a bite of his food, thinking of all the future nights ahead of him with Tony that will be just like this. Besides when they’re fighting as a team, the only other time that Tony is amenable towards Steve is when he’s eating.

But soon that’s over, and Tony is eying him up as a contender. Alphas can’t really help it, and Tony and Steve have been in a dominance fight since day one. Tony is twitching now, hips shifting on his chair and his lips vibrating with unspoken words. Likely insults, knowing Tony.

“So, what, did the island nominate you to talk me out of my self induced isolation? I said I was sorry. And it’s also not your business how things are between Pepper and me.”

“I’m not here for that. I just wanted to have dinner with you.” It’s the wrong thing to say. Tony tilts his head and narrows his eyes.

“Yeah, right. Well, dinner is done. So you can go now, thanks, and goodbye.” Tony gets up and goes directly back to what he was working on. It’s cold of Tony, but it’s nothing less than he expects. It will not get him down though. He’s riding a high, a victory.

“JARVIS, deactivate B5.”

“Sir, may I suggest that this isn’t the best use of your time? Lay people do precisely ten things with their computer, and none of those are streaming ten copies of a HD movie at once.” JARVIS makes Steve smile. That sass is all Tony’s doing.

“Now that these transistors have pissed me off, no, I don’t think I will be stopping–Christ, Steve you’re still here? Do you need to be dismissed?” Steve chuckles, and Tony gives him a perplexed look as if Steve has a sudden case of brain damage. Maybe he does, because normally this gets Steve to fight with Tony.

“Ok Tony, I’ll see you later.” Steve strides out of the lab with a broad smile on his face and the refreshing determination of once more having a purpose.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

When it happens, Steve fights to keep his face from breaking out into a genuine, bright smile. 

Tony hasn’t changed entirely, but every morning when he walks into the kitchen, he looks more well-rested than he has in some time. Steve serves him a cup of coffee, handing over the warm glass to Tony’s waiting hands, which aren’t trembling with low blood sugar or otherwise jittery with the need for caffeine. Tony himself is all-too-perfect, hair giving way to feathery waves that have no purposeful direction framing his sleep crusted face. He really is beautiful. 

“Cap, I think you’re my absolute favorite. Don’t tell Nat though, or she might stab me again.” Tony is curled around the mug Steve handed him, elbows propped on the counter as he hovers over the steaming rim, breathing in with eyes closed. Steve rounds the island, skirting behind Tony and leaning over behind him to open a cabinet that contains a large bowl for whipping up pancakes. Now, Steve doesn’t need this bowl, but he does want to check and see how Tony reacts to his body. 

It’s faultless; Tony doesn’t flinch or otherwise turn on Steve with a harsh and grating insult. Tony lets Steve’s groin pass unhindered near his ass, the front of Steve’s zipper just barely brushing the back of Tony’s jeans as he slinks by with the bowl in hand. 

So yes, Steve is very pleased today. Things are going so well. 

“You seem relaxed Tony. What’s new?” Nat choses that moment to enter the kitchen, and Steve tenses up, wondering if she’s noticed his behavior. Of all the wild cards at play, Nat is the one Steve has real unfeigned fears of. If she finds out, which she may well do, he doesn’t know what her reaction will be. He suspects it would be to interfere, or stop him. 

“Relaxed? Me?” Tony cocks his head at Nat, who stares back at him with her usual closed-off expression. The silence stretches, and Steve stops his preparation of pancakes, willing Nat to say something. 

“Hmm.” Nat sits down near Steve, likely to make him intentionally uncomfortable, and it succeeds. 

“Ok Nat, that pregnant pause was in its first trimester by the time you opened your mouth. So what’s the deal?” Tony is on alert now, and Steve feels a chasm opening up in his chest as he accidentally knocks the bowl he’s dumping ingredients in before catching it. Clearing his throat, he glances at Tony from underneath his eyelashes as he continues to add milk to the batter. 

Nat raises her eyebrows at Steve and taps her fingers on the counter, but doesn’t respond. 

“Pancakes?” Steve tries. Lips pressed flat, Tony sets his mug down in a punctuated motion, his jaw set in that usual stubborn way of his, his eyes boring into Steve’s.

“JARVIS, run scans!” Tony gets up and paces back and forth, looking at the ceiling.

“Sir, you are showing elevated levels of Omgesterone, high blood pressure, and the reactor–” 

“That’s enough JARVIS. Zero in on the Omgesterone. What’s up with that?” He stops his pacing before gesticulating at JARVIS in disdain at hearing the news. Steve feels his heart climb up into his throat and he steals a glance at Nat, who is eying him curiously. 

“You’ll need additional testing in the lab, Sir.” Grumbling, Tony swipes his coffee mug and stumbles out of the kitchen towards the elevator. With Nat here, Steve can’t go after him. He’ll have to use the excuse of breakfast to access the workshop, which makes him feel more relief than he ought to, with Nat staring him down. He wants to be as far away from her scrutiny as possible. 

“You know something.” It’s tossed out there by Nat like a grenade, and Steve has to remember to breathe, to push down the adrenaline rush. 

“I think what I know is that Tony shouldn’t be messing around with half the things he does in his lab, and that if something has come back to bite him, I should be there.” He tries so hard, but it comes out biting and sharp, too emotionally invested. 

“So you’re concerned.” There’s a knot in Steve’s belly, and the sensation ratchets higher with each breath he takes. Having super soldier senses gives him a fine-tuned control over his body, but Nat has always been a reader of body language, even when there’s no body language to read . He’s too still. He can’t move as he normally would, so he stays in this frozen position, hoping she doesn’t see how terrified he is. She knows something is up. 

“Of course I am! Do none of you not see how he’s running himself ragged?” Bluster has always been a good choice for Steve. It’s a response he’s used to having when it comes to Tony, since its roots are in his exasperation for Tony’s poor decision making. Tony is just so reckless, so uncontrollable. The things he does on the field and in the workshop can sporadically, without warning, endanger his life. Then there’s his lack of sleep and eating, which adds layers to the problem that Steve thinks someone should do something about. But there isn’t anyone to look out for him; Steve knows, because he’s been observing. The very idea of Tony off, all alone, taking on dangerous projects without his full faculties makes his chest tighten. 

“We do, but we also know he’s an adult and he’s responsible for his own choices. Do you know that, Steve?” Nat drains her mug and places it in the sink before slinking over to stand in front of Steve with her hips cocked to the side. 

“Caring for someone is not a deficiency, Nat. If you were in the same position as Tony, I would care what’s happening to you.” His voice is as level as he can get it, his pitch low. Steve keeps whisking the pancake batter, using action to hide how he feels inside as best as he can. 

“Ah, but would you even know if I was?” She turns away, seemingly satisfied. 

“Maybe not, but I would be there. I’d try.” He stops now, the distance between them giving him space to breathe and think. 

“Hmm. Don’t whip the batter too hard now.” She considers him in that unfathomable way she usually does as she stills his hands with her own, before letting go and leaving the room. 

Steve exhales, shaking his head and closing his eyes, hands pressed hard against the side of the counter. He’s adrift now. The fear that all his plans have come to this, to be caught out by Nat, or even Tony, and so soon, feel like ruin. 

But it’s not over with yet. Nat won’t act without proof, and Tony is convincible.

The batter in front of him is ready for the pan, and as he heats up the pan before he throws the first dollop down he comes to a realization that it’s not all lost. 

\--

“Sir, have you thought about yoga?” 

“I swore I would never be one of those bendy fuckers. Ever. No, there’s got to be a way around this!” 

Steve walks in on Tony who has somehow pulled several blood samples out of his own arm, tourniquet still attached. He’s bleeding down his skin as he stares at the holograms in front of him. Tony looks softer, face open and awed at the data he’s examining. It’s a stark contrast from the stormcloud looks Tony often gives his inventions. Steve feels like he’s smoldering just looking at Tony like this. It’s endearing and perfect, watching Tony’s softer lines crease with confusion and frustration. 

“Steve look at this! I’m so stressed my body is producing Omgesterone. Pretty wild, yeah?” Tony’s face is pink and he’s clutching his hair in his hand as he rubs his fingers through the strands. His muscles are tense and he’s tapping his fingers on the counter to the side of him. Steve is reassured that Tony isn’t suspicious, but that doesn’t mean he won’t figure it out. He isn’t sure if synthetic hormones show up the same way as regular ones do. He’d ask Bucky, but he doesn’t think that his friend would be pleased to find out that Steve hadn’t talked to Tony, at all, about this plan. 

“Is that a thing that can happen?” Steve asks as Tony mops up the blood on his arm with a spare rag. 

“Well, I don’t have any other explanation for it. But it’s no matter. I’m going to take some stabilizers, knock it out of my system.” It’s matter of fact and Steve clenches his fists. 

“Tony, that sounds invasive. Why not just take a break?” He’s trying to be nonchalant, but he’s anything but. He knew this confrontation was coming, he just hadn’t thought about how to navigate it. Tony is a whirlwind, and you never know where he ends up. Steve wants to embrace him, hold him close so he’ll stop spinning in the wind. The thought of Tony, grounded and his, sparks in him. 

“How? These processors aren’t going to light themselves on fire. And I’ve got some upgrades to do for the suit. Did you know that JARVIS gets bigger as he ages? I’d say he’s getting chonky, but my baby boy is growing up and out of the harddrives in my suit. Gotta upgrade!” 

“I think JARVIS would want you to care for yourself first and foremost.” 

“Sir, Steve Rogers is correct. It would be nice to not have to lock you out of the workshop again.” 

“You promised never to do it again!” Tony whines at his AI, captivating Steve with his already burgeoning sweetness. Alpha Tony sasses JARVIS with some amount of aggression. This halfway Tony is already more openly affectionate. Sweet, even. Steve sits down on the couch before Tony can see the swelling outline of his pants. 

“Maybe just sit down and relax with me for a moment?” Tony cocks his head as if the thought has never occurred to him that he can sit down. But after a moment, Tony haltingly finds his way to the couch next to Steve. There’s a brief moment where Steve thinks Tony is scenting him in the air, and he feels triumph roll through him, hot and pressing. 

“And maybe wait on the stabilizers? Just try another week or two without, but get some food and rest. We’ll see if it resets you. There’s consequences to taking Alpha hormones.”

“Fine.” Tony draws out the ‘i,’ griping. “You know, I was super delayed on Alpha development. Had to supplement hormones to jump start it.” 

Steve holds his breath for a second before remembering to not do anything to worry Tony or make him think that he has any involvement with these changes. But god is it hard to not think that Howard turned his son into an Alpha. If the hormones were delivered early enough, Tony would never have developed reproductive organs, so there was no way to tell. Steve would never know, and it almost haunts him, but for the fact that it was going to be fixed soon. 

“I don’t know. You make a fine Alpha, but you’d also be an amazing Omega.” Steve worries he’s blown it just then, but he can’t help himself. If he didn’t have such fine control over his body, his pheromones would be coming off him in waves. He wants Tony with a fierceness that makes his head and cock ache. He’s so nervous that Tony will figure it all out before the changes are complete. That somehow Tony will pinpoint the delivery mechanism, or the day that his hormones spike. 

“I just think I’m hands down amazing, but I’m surprised you agree, frankly. Seeing as we hardly get along.” Tony’s eyes are almost shuttered, but Tony’s posture is submissive, chin tilted up as he leans back into the couch cushions. It’s inviting, thrilling to see. He watches Tony’s pulse point, the sheen of Tony’s glands peeking out from the side of his neck. It’s unbearable. 

“We– Tony. I like you. Don’t you know that?” 

“Hmm. We’ve had some battles, some ceasefires, maybe even a peace treaty or two. You know what, I think that making love or war is an unrealistic demand. We need a hybrid.” Tony leans forward into Steve’s space, solicitous. And Steve is not ready. The heady feeling of Tony in his orbit makes his head spin, and Steve barely manages to stop himself from reaching out to steady himself on Tony’s shoulders with his hands. 

“I’ve always made love in the same way I go to war.” Steve admits. The idea is filthy in his mind, Tony smashed into a bed on his stomach, leaking cock pulled back for Steve’s purview as Steve laps up all the slick from Tony’s tight hole while his Omega begs to be taken. That is a battle he’ll win. Steve can’t wait. 

“Ah, I’d like to see that then. Someday.” Tony’s smile curls, and watching the fine dusky pink of his lips twitch makes Steve think about what it would be like to see Tony on his knees in front of Steve, mouth stuffed full of cock, smirking and enticing with his eyes and sweet mouth. 

“Maybe sooner, rather than later?” A magnet, Tony’s eyes are locked onto Steve’s, his mouth parting and nostrils flaring as Steve allows a single pump of scent to escape. It’s filled with heavy want, the kind Steve would delight in painting Tony with. The moment Tony can smell it, his eyes dilate into darkness, pinpricks of iris rimming the fathomless depths. 

His half-Omega recovers quickly, tongue darting out to drag across the top lip and back down into his parted lips. Lips that so rapidly have captured Steve’s attention. 

“Tell me Cap, is all that self-restraint worth it?” The little vixen in front of him is coy now, neck bared towards Steve, and Steve can hardly believe that three weeks worth of pills have brought him to this point. So succulent already. Tony wants to be plucked. 

“Worth it? I barely have it at all when it comes to you.” With that, he decides to go all in on displaying his interest. Tony isn’t ready yet, and Steve will hold him off from trying to make good on any promises until the transition is over, but this is good groundwork. He won’t waste his opportunity. It’s only three more weeks. This is like throwing himself over a cliff. He’s done it so many times, but each time he feels the rush of the ground coming towards him. Sometimes Iron Man catches him. He hopes it’s true this time. 

“And what would it be like if you had no self control?” His soon-to-be Omega is smiling as he speaks now, blush dappling the tops of his cheeks as those beautiful crinkles of skin ride up to his eyes and the happiness leaks straight into them. Tony is alluring, engrossing with his straight white teeth and just wide-enough mouth. Steve wants to pull his hips forward, leaving Tony spread out in front of him. Wants to see those doe-brown eyes widen and invite Steve to do whatever he wants to Tony’s lithe body. And there are so very many things Steve can and will do. 

“Press it, and you’ll find out, Tony,” Steve says as he gets up off the couch, making to leave. He has to escape before he loses it. He’s far too close, his erection pushing hard against the seam of his sweatpants. He gently tucks the head under the waistband, trying to hide it. 

“Steve.” Just his name, and Steve pauses, looks back at Tony. The other man has disheveled his own hair with a fist clenched into it, eyes still inky with repressed lust. 

“Tony?”

“What if this is it? What if I turn into an Omega?” Steve turns around, delighted that Tony is asking this question of his own accord. Tony doesn’t spare a glance for Steve’s arousal. 

“Then I’ll be there.” 

Tony falters, and Steve thinks that maybe the fact that Tony could go into heat disturbs him. Steve should leave before a negative emotion latches itself onto Steve’s presence. The last thing he wants is for Tony to associate the fear of becoming Omega with Steve. Because if Tony even attempts to pick another Alpha besides Steve, he may lose his cool and challenge someone to a dominance fight. Tony is his now. These three practically blissful weeks of taking care of Tony’s needs have shown that. The path in front of him burns brighter than ever with rightness and impending satisfaction. 

“For my heats?” There’s a strain in Tony’s voice, a flatness to the question that Steve doesn’t understand. 

“Yes,” he breathes out. And so much more. There’s everything that Steve wants to give Tony. His fingers, his cock, everything that Steve is wants to pour inside of Tony until he’s so full of Steve that Tony chokes and takes him in deeper. Lets Steve settle into all the private places Tony keeps for himself. Steve wants it all. 

“That’s–that’s good. It’s good to know. I’m going to get back to work sweetcheeks. I’ll see you when I see you?” Tony is all false smiles now, and Steve isn’t quite sure what’s happened, but he thinks Tony is realizing what’s on offer. That he can ould have Steve as more than just another Alpha friend. Given Tony’s withdrawal, Steve wants nothing more than to comfort him. But he can’t push, so he gives Tony a nod, and leaves the man to his thoughts, hoping to see him tomorrow.

\--

Something is wrong. 

Steve hasn’t even so much as glimpsed Tony in a couple of days. The attempts at bringing lunch to the workshop are rebuffed by JARVIS. 

He’s at a loss. It’s possible Tony is reeling from the idea of being an Omega, but he thought they had a trust. That Tony would come to him if it got overwhelming. Steve doesn’t know if Tony has taken the stabilizers now, or if he’s researching his condition further. Steve doesn’t know anything, and it’s killing him inside. 

Right now, he’s glaring morosely down at the breakfast he’s made. There’s too much of it, because in hoping beyond hope, he thought Tony would come up this morning and he could at least feed him. His chest feels tight with sorrow, his arms slack at his sides in defeat. 

Of course, that’s when Nat strolls in, right on time to throw a spanner in the workings of Steve’s inner turmoil. 

“Tony hasn’t been around, has he?” She narrows in on the subject with the precision of a blade, no non-sequitur about the weather or the team. He’d give anything to have anyone else walk in, but once again everyone is either gone on a mission or in their respective favorite locations with no reason to come up to the kitchen. 

“I wouldn't know.” And christ, this is what Steve has been reduced to. Taking the Lord’s name in vain in his own mind and lying. He has a fleeting thought that he doesn’t know how he got here. That this was all harder than he had in mind and while the fruits of his efforts are worth it, he doesn’t know if he’ll make it to the other side unscathed. There are so many factors that can go awry, including the one in front of him. 

“I’d let you know that I’ve seen your tell, but that would also be lying.” Nat pours herself a cup of coffee, leaning her hips against the counter in a mockery of relaxation. No, Steve knows she’s on edge, poised to strike. 

“What?” He replies dumbly. 

“It’s time to come clean, Steve. JARVIS, blackout.” It’s not that Steve doesn’t know he’s lying, but he had thought that his eagerness to see Tony better would muffle whatever signal Nat senses from him. She’s also likely fishing. She doesn’t, can’t know anything. He just has to pray that JARVIS truly isn’t listening, or he’s ruined. 

“About?” 

“Tony. You have something to do with the changes that have been occurring with him.” And so she does know something. This is bad. Steve feels a shiver overtake him that he hides from Nat by stiffening just so. Swallowing, he tries to steady his voice. 

“I haven’t–I’m–it’s something he’s agreed he’s ok with happening.” Which is a non-answer. Nat is adept at puzzling out what’s not said. 

“What, being an Omega or worse yet, being converted from an Alpha to an Omega by one of his closest friends?” Her green eyes are burning into him now, mug held steady to her lips as she blows on the hot surface. How she’s so unshakeable as she brings down Steve’s world is beyond him. 

“That’s–I–”

“You had better tell me what this is all about before I make you regret it. Or should I make Bucky regret helping you?” The mug hits the counter as she steps forward into his space, red hair cascading down her back as she pitches her head back to look up at him. There’s a promise in her eyes, one that’s destructive. One that she can make good on against both Bucky and Steve. 

Steve breaks. 

“How can you say all that after how you’ve seen him treat Pepper? He’s been the best he’s ever been these past few weeks. He’s cooperative with the team, nonviolent, sleeping, eating, smiling. If this isn’t who he’s meant to be, then you go right ahead down there and tell him whatever you think is going on. Just go.” Nat is still, preternaturally so, before she starts to move back, eyes still wary on Steve. 

“I’m not going to rat you out, since I don’t know exactly what you’re doing yet. Not today anyway. It would destroy Tony to find out one of the people he most admires has manipulated him this way. All for his own selfish purposes.” 

“Now that isn’t true,” Steve protests. 

“It’s partially true. The part about Tony’s disappointment and how selfish you are being.” Her smile is cutting. 

“That’s all of what you just said!” This is getting out of hand. Steve’s motivations just happen to coincide with what is the most sound decision for Tony. 

Nat tips her head up as if thinking before she speaks. 

“Oh, well I guess I’m right and you’re wrong.” 

“Nat, please. This isn’t something I went headlong into without being willing to be there for him at the end.”

“No, you went headlong without thinking about the consequences for him! For this team! Do you realize that his company won’t allow an Omega to lead it? That Tony could–” Steve cuts Nat off. 

“Pepper is the CEO, not Tony!” Steve wouldn’t have rushed into this without knowing the consequences. He looked. Tony can be CEO if the board approves of his alpha. Steve has never needed the persona of Captain America before, but if there’s one thing he has no problem using it for, it’s his soon to be mate. 

“But for how long? Tony’s life, his livelihood, is at stake here.” 

“And you think they’d take it away from Captain America’s Omega?” Steve is certain they wouldn’t. 

“This seems like it’s the first time you’ve ever been willing to use your influence to help Tony out of anything. I have every right to be suspicious.” And Steve realizes that Nat isn’t wrong, but this will be different. Tony will be different, and what they mean to each other will be both private and public. He won’t hide his affections for Tony. 

“Tony is everything. If I have to become the CEO of his company to protect him, I would do it in a heartbeat.” Steve doesn’t think it will come to that, but he doesn’t have to think about it to know the depths to which he would go to ensure Tony’s happiness. He’s come this far already. 

“Good,” Nat says. 

“What?” 

“I won’t interfere for now. But if you do anything to injure that man, I will string you up before you ever see charges for what you’ve done.” Threats Steve can deal with, and he pulls his shoulders back into a leadership pose that he knows by heart and leans forward towards Natasha to indicate just how serious he is. 

“So you can’t just openly admit this is good for him?” 

“Is that what you need to feel justified? Then yes. He’s been better than he’s been in the years I’ve known him. And it is that reason, and only that reason, that I am not going to say a word. Unless you screw this up, which you still very much could.”

“And you’ll leave Bucky out of it.” 

Nat shakes her head in exasperation and stalks out of the kitchen, her lack of answer sitting sourly in Steve’s stomach. 

He feels sick. He needs Tony. 

“JARVIS, resume listening.” 

“Sir.”

“I need Tony.” It comes out as an exhalation of exhaustion, sheer want tainting his voice. 

“Sir has given you emergency access codes should a situation arise. Shall I activate those upon your reaching the workshop?”

“Yes,” he grits out and begins the too-long trek to where Tony is. The conversation with Nat has lit him afire with worry and fear over Tony’s behavior as of late. He has to find out what’s going on. Whether Tony has started to stabilize his hormones and what that means for Steve. It makes his chest tight and his stomach knot to think about how close he’s come and how it’s all teetering precariously on Tony’s and Nat’s cooperation. All of which he thought he either had or avoided needing via subterfuge. Now everything is blown open, and it’s rotten inside. 

The door to the workshop swings open and Tony’s head swings back with it. 

“JARVIS, I said no visitors!” Tony’s robot, Dum-E swings over bearing a fire extinguisher in its grip. It waves it at Steve threateningly before Tony barks at it to stop, and that everything is fine. 

“Tony.” It wrecks him to see Tony like this, worn down and thin from indulging in nothing but coffee. Tomorrow is the day for pill four. He’s got to resolve this, before everything comes tumbling down. 

“Steve,” Tony spits back. 

“I don’t understand why you’ve locked yourself away. Is it the transition? Are you afraid of becoming Omega? I said I would be there for you.” He gets to the heart of it right away, hoping the quick attack dislodges the truth from Tony. 

“Afraid? Is that what you think this is? God, I know I can’t make you like me, but just once I’d love for you to shut up about not liking me.”

“Tony, what are you talking about? I like you!” 

“Yes, but not in that way. What is the point of letting this happen to me if there’s no purpose at the end of it! I want– I want–” Tony can’t finish as he stands up and slams his hands down on the table behind him, eyes clenched shut. 

“What are you talking about, Tony?” Steve feels desperation come over him. Something’s gone so off the rails that he’s afraid of how to steer the train back onto the tracks. Tony has a propensity for running people over when they try to get him to do something he doesn’t want. That’s not a position Steve wants to be in; he’s found himself against these kinds of odds before with an Alpha Tony many, many times. He wants this, to cling to the cloying and calm aura that’s started to saturate Tony. The one that calls to him now in a way he’s always been waiting for. His perfect Omega. 

Steve needs tomorrow. Tomorrow is critical. He has to fix this. 

“Steve. I need you. You don’t understand. I need you and I don’t want to need you this bad.” Tony’s breath is hitching as he speaks with artificial calm. The words are warbling slightly, and Steve’s heart breaks at the thought that Tony doesn’t know how much Steve would give for him. How critical Tony is, and has become to Steve. Steve adores Tony with a gnawing emptiness that craves nourishment, craves anything at all that Tony deigns to give him. 

“God, Tony–” Steve approaches and kneels down on the hard floor next to Tony, grabbing his shaking hands off the table and clutching the nearest close to his chest.

As for Tony, he’s so beautiful when he’s filled with sorrow that Steve knows he’s going to draw that expression later. It’s heartfelt and pure, Tony’s crumbling face sluiced with pent-up desire. 

“If you are an Omega, I’m yours, if you’ll have me,” he intones, letting the cadence of his sincerity wash over Tony. 

“Mine?” The choked out word is disbelieving, and Steve sees all of the tension and anxiety stifled in Tony’s body manifest itself into unshed tears. 

“Yours.” This is a promise. It’s the beginning for Steve, of all the things he’s going to have with Tony after this. It makes every action, every second guess, all the waiting on Bucky, his confrontation with Nat, the disappointment of their past, bearable. He can carry these things for Tony, as an act of love. Tony doesn’t have to know the cost of their happiness. That is for Steve and Steve alone. And such is love, Steve thinks.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, a conversation that should have resolved this between them, made better, has driven a wedge in once more. 

At least Tony isn’t outright ignoring him. They eat lunch the very next day after their intimate talk that ended with Tony squeaking that he had to work on something very important. Steve let it slide, endeared by the fact that Tony felt so overwhelmed he had to distract himself. 

It pleases him to no end watching Tony devour his kung pow chicken laced with pill four, and he hums, contented, as Tony finishes off a few boxes of lo mein and orange beef. 

The difference now is that Tony is quiet, even obedient. 

On their next mission out, Iron Man behaves perfectly, agreeing to every command on the field. It’s so smooth that Steve thinks something is missing. He realizes it’s their arguments, and he mourns the sass he gets from Tony even as he marvels at the efficiency of their movements. Nat is contemplating him with a savageness that Steve would normally be wary of, if he thought she was any genuine threat. Once again, she can’t say that this isn’t better. Tony is improved, though Steve is worried now about Tony losing himself to some of his Omega instincts. 

“Whatever you’re doing to keep Stark in line, keep doing it.” Fury is happy. Disturbingly so.

“Will do, sir.” And it feels acidic in his mouth, down his throat, like he has heartburn just agreeing with the Director. Has he done something to shackle Tony? He thinks that maybe he should approach Tony and confront him about this, but then he remembers the tear-filled eyes that all but demanded he take indulgent care of the half-Omega. Tony couldn’t stand the idea that he was wanted only for his heats, and now that Steve had confessed he wanted Tony, it was like Tony would do anything to make sure it stayed that way. 

If he was being honest, it disturbed him. Tony shouldn’t be nearly so vulnerable, so available already. Steve is so afraid that he’s undermined his own goals by taking advantage of Tony. He wants a person, a mate, not an automaton who agrees with whatever Steve wants. 

The very thought of damaging Tony has his heart staggering. He’s done all of this against what would be any reasonable person’s wishes. Yes, the evidence suggests that it’s the right decision, but Steve can’t help but think that maybe it wasn’t. That Tony was better off staying as an Alpha and figuring out his rut problems on his own. 

He can’t shake these thoughts as he paces from the common room to the kitchen, arms crossed in consternation. It’s his dedication to his musings that gets him, and he allows himself to be snuck up on by the sounds of conversation, leaving him with no activity in his hands to hide that he was here sulking. 

“You should have seen Stern’s face when he had to give Rhodey and me that medal. There weren’t any cameras facing that direction when he shook each of our hands, which was a grievous error on my part.” Tony’s face is lit up, his joy in the story infectious but for the malaise that’s laying over Steve. 

“Fury must secretly like you then,” Nat says. 

“Oh no. He owed me a favor. You know the one.” Tony grins conspiratorially at her. His body is vibrating and he’s so close to Nat that Steve wants to step in between them. 

Nat laughs, the sound crystalline and bold. It’s all Alpha, and Steve feels rankled, like he’s been smacked upside his head. 

“You know how it is. I am the trouble I want to see in the world,” Tony continues, now looking at Steve like he’s in on some secret joke. 

“He was the one who tried to get your suits, yes? I bet the paperwork saying no hit him so fast he needed reconstructive surgery.” Now Tony cackles at Nat’s crack at the Senator in question. Nat places a proprietary hand on Tony’s shoulder. 

Steve is numb. He’s iced again. Standing on the outside looking in as if he’s small once more. It’s like gazing outside the recruitment booth and being denied again and again. The wrongness of it sits in his bones, the pain throbbing under his skin. He needs Tony. He doesn’t deserve him, just like he never deserved the opportunity to become Captain America, but he needed it. Tony is not someone he’s going to live without. This world he’s in no longer makes sense without him. 

“Going to head down then?” Nat says as Tony’s mug is being rapidly drained of coffee as he tilts it back further and further into his mouth. 

“Yeah, I can’t remember what I’ve started, and I’m never finished.” His eyes sparkle with mischievousness, and he snatches the coffee pot off the counter to refill his cup before giving Steve a careful nod and Nat a hand wave goodbye as he meanders out of the kitchen. 

That leaves Nat and Steve, and it goes without saying that he’s very much not interested in her company. In fact, he would love to take their debate to the gym where he can get rid of this feral, cold energy that tells him he should have had his hands around her neck the minute she walked into the room. 

As for Nat, she always knows what he’s thinking, but in this case, she doesn’t seem perturbed by it at all. It makes him irrational, angry, and he steps forward into her space, threatening. 

“JARVIS, blackout.” He stalks forward, inserting himself into her space. 

“You won’t do anything because it would upset Tony.” She doesn’t move away from him as she makes her declaration. 

“And why wouldn’t Tony think it’s a training accident?” 

“If you ever let go of your control enough to come at me, it would be obvious it’s not an accident. You’d do my work for me. But hell, maybe I should let you, so they can lock you up.” It strikes him then that Nat might no longer be a friend. She’s on Tony’s side though. And that’s the side Steve is also on. 

“Why haven’t you told him? Since you think I’m somehow responsible.” 

“And break his heart when he’s already falling for you? You may be doing a monstrous thing, I don’t know at this point. But you care for Tony, and that’s enough for me to not risk his fragile heart. A heart you will take care of, if he gives it to you.” 

“Tony is mine.” The look Nat gives him is calculated. Steve’s forgets all of his reservations, his concerns. He can’t help but look at this interaction between Nat and Tony and see himself as the better option. Tony will be an Omega and Steve is going to mate him as soon as the change is complete. 

“Yes, I think he might just be.” And she’s gone again, agile form gracefully leaving the kitchen. 

\--

It’s been another week since his conversation with Nat. Tony successfully downs his fifth pill, and being in the home stretch is grating on Steve something fierce. He’s going to take good care of Tony. Better than the kind of care Tony has heaped upon himself. He just has to make sure that Nat doesn’t interfere. 

He’s not sure why he’s drawn to do it. In perspective, Nat said that she was on Tony’s side, and that Tony wanted Steve. Which, he could see it now. Scent it even. 

Every time Steve went to the workshop, which was often, Tony welcomed him with a singular glee and burst of arousal. Those initial moments were hard; Tony’s body wasn’t ready to be taken. His slick hadn’t settled in and Steve wanted his first time with Tony to be when he was fully Omega. He knew with singular purpose that there would be nothing else in this world like sinking into Tony’s wet heat, and if it meant waiting a week, and ensuring that no one interfered, he would do anything to ensure that. 

This is how he finds himself having lunch with Nat and Bucky, of all people. Nat is calm, collected, while Bucky is a bundle of twitching nerves. The diner is mostly empty, and Steve briefly wishes that there were more people to create background noise for their impending conversation. 

“I can’t fucking believe you,” Bucky hisses, his metal hand flat on the table as he leans over it. “Never, when I gave you those pills did I think you would do this.” 

“Is Tony unhappy?” He sighs, tries not to feel put upon and cornered. Rubbing the back of his neck, he waits for one of them to respond. They’re both looking at the other, Bucky chewing his lip and Nat waiting with a blank face. 

“Why does that even matter? This is illegal.” Bucky finally gives in and speaks, waving his hands in the air. 

“Do either of you think SHIELD will stop me if they find out? And doesn’t Tony’s happiness matter?” If anything, SHIELD is going to help him make this legitimate. Fury probably thinks they can attain more tech that way, and he’s while he’s not wrong, Steve would never make Tony create weapons for SHIELD or otherwise jeopardize Tony’s autonomy with SI. No, once Tony is his, and SHIELD is off his back, he’ll be more inspired to create gifts. That’s just how Tony is; pressure him and he gets stubborn. Leave him be and he blossoms, making tech at will. 

“Fuck SHIELD. Don’t be obtuse when it comes to Tony,” Nat says. 

“Tony wants to be with me. And we can’t be together if he’s an Alpha. That’s consent enough to do this,” Steve insists. 

“And in no world could you have taken the pills yourself?” Nat’s one eyebrow has gone up as it does when she thinks that someone is being foolish. Steve has considered being an Omega, for at least a moment. But ultimately he isn’t the one with the problem. 

“Who had the issue with ruts?” They all think about what Steve has just said, how it’s been quiet and peaceful in the tower. No aggravated Tony going around and snapping at people for no reason. 

“So you decided for him. I’ve always known you had a selfish streak, but this is beyond the pale.” Steve can’t believe his friend is so completely against this. They agreed that this was best for Tony, and yes, maybe Steve didn’t ask Tony, but he doesn’t see Tony complaining at all about not being an Alpha. Of all the things he expected, the first was that Tony would put up some kind of fight, and yet, there’s been radio silence on that front. If Tony didn’t want this, he would have taken stabilizers a long time ago. 

“I think the only thing that matters at this point is whether you tell him or not.” He’s not afraid if they do. At this point, Tony would understand why Steve did it. Eventually, Tony will forgive him, because that’s just how his nature is. He’s always been very Omega when it comes to his generosity. 

“Fuck you Rogers. Give me that last pill, now.” Bucky reaches over the counter and holds out his hand. Steve crosses his arms. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that,” he says. 

“Then don’t come to me when Tony eventually finds out what you did.” Bucky slips out of the booth, hands propelling him away from the table. He stalks out of the diner, slamming the door shut behind him, rattling the frame. 

There’s dead silence between Nat and Steve, and she mimics his posture, her arms wrapping around her torso in judgement. 

“The sad thing is, Steve, if you had asked Tony to change to an Omega for you, he would have. He’s always loved you,” she says softly. 

“Our life is not a lie just because it started with circumstances that aren’t like anyone else’s.” It’s not. The things that Steve feels for Tony are real. They crawl through his veins, keep him up at night. He dreams of Tony, of their life together and how much he wants to love his Omega to pieces. Wants to take him apart and put him back together the way he deserves. It’s beyond instinct or lust. Steve considers being with Tony an act of worship. 

“It is a lie when both parties don’t know why.” Nat is delicate with her words. And maybe she’s right that someday Steve should tell Tony. But to destroy what he’s worked for now? To make Tony miserable? He can’t do it. He can’t take their future and dash it on the rocks. 

“All Tony needs to know is that I love him too. That I’ll take care of him.” 

“Fine. You had better, Rogers. The moment you don’t, the very moment, I will come for you.” Nat doesn’t bother paying, leaving Steve with three empty plates and a feeling that he’s just won the war. 

\--

“JARVIS tells me that something is going on. About me. And that you’re at the bottom of it.” Tony is shifting from foot to foot, his bare toes scrunching up against the floor. The look on his face is almost shy, and Steve feels his body heat. Almost. Almost there. 

“I won’t lie to you. But I’m not able to talk about it either.” Steve is ensconced on the couch, a pencil and sketch book in hand. He’s been drawing a rather obscene image of a nude Tony laying on Steve’s bed, legs tucked up to his chest. Some parts of it he has to leave to his imagination, but so very soon he’ll know Tony in entirety. He can hardly wait. 

“Well if it has something to do with me, isn’t it my business?” His Omega is defiant, the cords of his neck standing out as he huffs in dismissal of Steve’s explanation. 

Steve decides to stick as closely to the truth as possible. 

“You’re becoming Omega. I want you, as my mate. They think that I should be more interested in seeing you go back to being an Alpha than this–opportunity.” At Steve’s words, Tony’s whole demeanor shifts. His eyes gloss over and his lips part as he takes a step back. 

“You want me–like that?” Even after everything, his Tony is still so insecure that it makes Steve’s heart ache. Tony was never so vulnerable as an Alpha, but being Omega shouldn’t make Tony feel so down on himself, which means that Tony always felt this way. Steve is going to dedicate so much of his time to building his precious Omega up so that these utterances are a distant memory. Tony should be treated with reverence and cherished. 

“Yes, Tony, of course.” Steve gets up and steps forward to take Tony into his arms, and the Omega folds in like he belongs there. Tony is warm, and he feels like home. Steve can hardly contain the joy inside him as he clutches onto Tony. His hands want to worship the fine lines of Tony’s body, memorize the contours of his lush person. He settles for griping Tony in an intimate hug that encircles his arms around Tony’s narrow waist. Tony responds in kind, his fingers digging into the fascia muscles in a way that would be bruising on anyone else. It makes Steve groan, and he lets it escape, lets Tony hear how much he needs him. 

“Steve.” Tony pulls his head away from Steve’s chest, looking up with his absolutely bewitching eyes. “Steve, you didn’t have anything to do with this, right?” 

In that second, Steve considers telling the truth. But he thinks better of it. 

“No, of course not.” Tony searches Steve’s face for a moment after he speaks, but then a small smile appears and Tony tucks his head into the crook of Steve’s neck once more. They stand like that for so long that Steve wants to fall asleep on his feet cradling Tony. 

It’s Tony who breaks the embrace, arms dropping to his sides, a bashful look upon his face. Tony has always been a beautiful olive tone, and with the hormones coursing through his system, he glows. It’s enough that Steve pulls him back into his arms again. Steve intends to keep Tony for a moment, and give him a peck on the cheek, but Tony turns his head at the last second. 

Their lips meet, and it’s so warm and silken that Steve sucks in a breath around Tony, drawing him in for more. Steve can taste the coffee inside Tony’s mouth, and the flavor of that and Tony is heady. 

When Tony pulls away, slowly, eyes wide and his mouth wet and puffy, he isn’t quite wrecked, but he looks ready to fall over the edge into it. 

Steve wants more. 

Even a hint of what awaits them is appealing. It tells Steve that Tony will be happy with him, that he’ll want him as his Alpha. 

“Uh, sorry Steve, I–” Steve strokes a hand down Tony’s hair, letting it rest on the other man’s neck, heavy. It’s so good that he has Tony in his arms that he wants to forget there’s one more week to wait before Tony will be begging for him. He’s going to have to hold out until then. 

“You’ve done nothing wrong. But let’s wait and see if this change is sticking around, yeah?” 

“Ok, Steve.” Tony pulls away at last before turning around and making his way to his workbench. He throws a cautious look behind his shoulder, giving Steve a megawatt smile. 

Steve is in love with the best person he’s ever known. 

\--

Nat and Bucky avoid him the rest of the week. Bucky isn’t even hiding the cold face he makes at Steve when Tony isn’t looking. The tower’s atmosphere is on tenterhooks, and even Tony is cluing in that things aren’t quite right. 

Steve debates giving the last of the medication to Tony early, but he doesn’t want to disrupt the process more than he is concerned about someone informing Tony. 

But his mental preparation doesn’t seem to matter when he hears the voices that are in Tony’s room from down the hallway as he makes his way towards the kitchen. His hearing is only just better than Bucky’s, which is good, because the two people speaking are Bucky and Tony. 

“–what he’s done–”

“–no, he wouldn’t–”

“–you’re being–”

“–stop, just stop, ok?” 

He hears quiet whispering and realizes Nat must be there. 

God, it’s all over. They’ve told him. Steve should have given Tony the pill sooner. He makes his way to the kitchen and sits on a bar stool, back facing the entryway. If they’re going to come, he might as well let them shoot him in the back. He doesn’t want to see Tony’s face as he’s gutted by the truth.

Why couldn’t they have stayed out of it? His limbs are shaking now and his chest is a knot of pain. The urge to hide, to flee is so strong and it competes with his inner Alpha, which tells him to fight both Nat and Bucky until they are done. 

He starts to feel nauseous, his body rejecting the food he’s just eaten. Rejecting reality. 

All of his dreams are spinning out of control, slipping through his grasp. The worst is that Tony isn’t going to be ok, and if it’s anything he wants, it’s Tony’s security and happiness. Steve doesn’t think he can listen at any more doors during Tony’s rut as the man loses temper. He thinks about what could happen, the people Tony could hurt, and how much Tony could injure himself. It kills him. 

“Hey Steve.” Tony’s voice is cheery, and he hears all three of them behind him, Tony in the lead. 

Like a prisoner waiting for execution, he moves in slow motion towards the inevitable blade, turning his body so he can make eye contact with the ones who have destroyed his life. Above Tony’s lovely eyes, he meets those of Nat and Bucky, who look surprisingly subdued. Locking his eyes back on Tony, his Omega bounds over and latches onto Steve in an embrace that makes him shudder with relief. 

Tony’s mouth is on his then, for the briefest of moments, and Steve chases it when Tony pulls away, much to the Omega’s delight. 

“I’ll see you for dinner tonight?” Tony asks, his arms slung around Steve’s shoulders like he belongs there. Tony’s body is pressed tight to the back of his, and Steve relishes the closeness. He’s stunned that he’s receiving any affection at all after he’s certain that Nat and Bucky have told Tony what Steve has done. 

“Yeah, sweetheart. Meet you down there soon?” Gently, he prises Tony’s arms off, holding the other man’s hands in his own and circling his thumbs over the delicate skin before letting them fall. 

“Can’t wait.” Tony winks and breezes from the room as if Nat and Bucky weren’t there at all. 

“JARVIS, blackout,” Steve says.

“I’m going to have to countermand that order on behalf of sir.” 

“I don’t mean Tony any harm, but this doesn’t have anything to do with him anymore.”   
There’s silence from the ceiling, and it’s such a human thing that Steve wonders if JARVIS learned it or Tony programmed it. A computer doesn’t need any time at all to think, he’s learned. 

“Very well. Blackout in effect.” JARVIS disappears. 

“You win Stevie. I never thought I’d hear Tony defend you, but there he is, swearing up and down this wasn’t you.” Bucky looks beaten, the kind of resigned he was when Steve used to get into fights with bullies much bigger than himself. It’s charming, and it lets Steve know that things are going to be ok. 

“So you’re telling me I’m right?” Steve says.

“We’re saying circumstances have worked out in your favor, for now.” Nat says. 

“But going forward things will be different. I understand.” Steve agrees. 

“Not sure you do Stevie. I can forgive you this, but I’m not sure I can forget. You both can have the joy of each other.” Bucky walks out. 

“I’d say that I’ll be there for him when he realizes, but I think he knows deep down what you’ve done. This is the only way he can have you, so he’s going to take it. No matter what you do, how you love him, or how you treat him, underneath it all is falsehood. Your love for him is a lie you tell yourself.” Nat leaves the room before Steve can respond, though he doesn’t know what he would say. 

Nat is wrong. Steve doesn’t do regrets anymore. Not since Peggy and Bucky taught him to go after what he wants before it’s gone. He’s getting it right this time, with Tony. 

If anything, Tony’s open affection, the fact that he believes in Steve, is proof positive that Tony loves him. And Steve knows he loves Tony. There’s no falsehood here. 

\--

Steve grabs burgers for Tony’s last pill. He crushes the pill into the mayo and bags everything back up. 

Tony smiles coquettishly over the top of the bun as he takes his first bite. 

It’s over before Steve can blink, Tony pushing the last of the french fries in his mouth, takeout box empty. 

“I never did do the stabilizers.” Tony admits in the quiet moment after he finishes his food. 

“No?” 

“It felt too good, the changes, to stop them. Did I make the wrong decision Steve?” His Tony is open and vulnerable as he looks at Steve. What’s unspoken is heavy in the air between them: Steve’s hand in Tony’s transition.

“No, Tony. You did things the way you wanted to, and that’s all that matters.” 

The intimacy of it makes Steve beat a retreat. He can’t look into the mirror of his own making and wait patiently for his love to be reflected back. It’s easier to run, to back away from the moment to come. The air feels heavy with his own anticipation, and he feels no sense of self-restraint when he’s around Tony. Waiting an hour in his Omega’s presence will be agony.

When Steve returns, Tony will be in heat. He’ll want and need Steve. He goes to his room, sits on the edge of the bed, and keeps his phone on ring, looking at the screen for what feels like every other second. 

Finally, it rings. 

“Steve, god, Steve?! It’s–it’s agony. Please! I don’t know what’s–” 

“Tony! I’m coming, just hold tight sweetheart, please. Just stay on the phone with me.” 

“I think, oh fucking hell Steve, I think I’m in heat! I need you, need you so bad, please, please, please, god, please, I can’t–” 

“JARVIS, make the elevator as quick as possible.”

“Already on it sir.” The whoosh of the movement barely distracts him from Tony’s pleading. It’s agonizing listening to him disintegrate into a puddle of ‘please’ and tears. Steve never should have left Tony’s floor. He should have stayed. What was he thinking? Everything tonight has moved too quickly for his mind to process. The confrontation, Tony’s acceptance and his final pill. Steve hadn’t counted on the heat being so immediate in its need for satisfaction. 

The elevator doors jangle open, harsh and discordant. Steve takes the hallway at a dead run towards the glass doors to the workshop. They slide open as he approaches, and slam shut behind him. 

The scene in front of him is one he isn’t sure he could live without seeing again some time, in better circumstances. 

Tony is plastered to the floor, his jeans tucked down to the curve of his knees, underwear mangled in the waistline. One palm is smashed to the floor to prop him up, and his other hand occupied with his ass, the jerky motion of his wrist pushing what must be his fingers deep inside his hole. Tony’s face is a rictus of ecstasy, his neck thrown back, careless in repose. 

Steve can’t see anything else, can’t concentrate or think of anything but the squelching and rhythmic movements of his Omega, who is so perfect that he can’t imagine Tony being anything other than this ever again. His perfect, perfect Omega. 

“Steve, please.” His love casts distraught eyes at him, the brown swallowed by black pupils. Slack jawed, Tony starts to crawl towards Steve, and it breaks whatever spell has been cast over him. Steve moves, arms coming to link under Tony’s and scoop up his bottom. 

“JARVIS, clear the way to Tony’s room,” he says over Tony’s moaning in his arms. 

“You can go, Captain. Please take care of sir.” Steve manages to pull Tony’s jeans off of him, leaving him ass-naked in a lover’s carry. He has to trust that JARVIS can take care of this, because Steve is not having his first time with Tony on the floor of the workshop or its ratty couch. 

“I can do nothing less.” It’s a promise to JARVIS. An assurance that if Steve is worth anything at all, he will give Tony all that he has. Tony is everything in this world that is good and pure. All he waited for after the war that he never got. The very breath in his lungs, he thinks, as he breathes in Tony’s unadulterated Omega scent. 

Steve strides down the hall, trying not to run and jostle Tony, but desperate to get to his lover’s room. The sooner he bites Tony, the better it will be for both of them. The whining that Tony is doing into his shirt is painfully adorable and also grates on his last Alpha nerve. As an Alpha, he should have had Tony in his bed, nested and ready. 

“Steve, do something! It fucking hurts, oh god. Please!” Steve reaches the door just as Tony has his outburst, and Steve almost kicks it in, but manages to turn the handle in his hands to push it open. 

He deposits Tony on the bed, and turns back to shut the door. 

Tony is a mess. His poor Omega is squirming on his stomach, ass exposed to Steve and the light glisten of slick peeking out of his crack. Every muscle in Tony’s body is tense, ready for action of any kind, but mostly for an Alpha to soothe every ache and pain away. 

“P–please, can’t–can’t breathe! I’m leaking, and it’s so warm, Steve!” Tears are trickling down the sides of Tony’s face as Steve leans down and wipes them away. 

“Tony, tell me what you want sweetheart.” 

“You–you, asshole! Fuck me, bite me, mate me, you– do it now. I need it now!” 

Tony cries out those oh-so-very necessary words, the ones Steve has been dreaming of hearing, and he lunges, blanketing Tony in him. He can hardly wait to be buried in Tony, his pliant Omega body begging to give it up to Steve. 

Tony struggles to push his hips up and against Steve’s clothed erection, and Steve regrets that he has clothes at all. He attempts to shrug them off, but instead rips the zipper of his pants and puts finger sized holes through his boxers. He’s no better with Tony, forgoing taking his Omega’s shirt off in lieu of tearing it. His Omega isn’t helping with his constant movement, but Steve gets it. Tony needs it so bad, he can’t not move. 

Steve kisses his Omega now, leaning over Tony’s body with his long torso and turning his head to snatch up Tony’s lips into his own, and the sheer jubilation he experiences can’t be quantified. Tony whines into it, bucking up against Steve more, and his mouth opens in invitation. 

“Can’t wait, stop making me wait!” The impertinence of Tony practically shouting those words against Steve’s lips makes him chuckle into Tony’s mouth and break the kiss. His sassy Omega wants his Alpha. It’s better than he could have ever anticipated. Steve lets up off of Tony, leaning back on his knees as he grasps Tony’s hips off the bed, hauling his ass towards the apex of Steve’s thighs. He pets Tony’s thighs, fingers dragging down the sparsely haired legs and back up to the perky ass that’s staring him in the face. 

Steve wants to know every part of Tony. Every patch of skin and bone that makes up his love. Tony shivers and shudders under his exploration, eyes screwed closed from the sensation. 

“Steve if I’m not sitting on that cock in a minute I’m going to scream so loud.” Steve chuckles and realizes he has already been too cruel, and he lines up his already fattening cock towards Tony’s clenched hole. When his head touches it, it winks invitingly at him, a wash of slick leaking out. Fuck, Tony is ready, and Steve has been holding back from the thing he wants the most for so long. 

“You want me to make it good baby? Fill you up?” Tony starts babbling, blaspheming god, and it’s not anywhere near coherent. With that, Steve pushes in, steady but quicker than he would have chosen, had Tony’s body not opened itself so beautifully to Steve. He feels Tony’s internal muscles give, and faster than he thought possible, he’s seated inside his Omega. It’s so disorienting, the feeling of everything funneling down to a single point that leads out of his cock. It’s everything. Tony is all that he’s ever needed. 

Steve settles in, waiting for something, for Tony. 

“Steve, please, please move.” He thrusts then, hips jerking tightly to the sweet crevice of Tony’s thighs. 

Tony lets a moan escape his pretty mouth, low, exhaling everything out as Steve slides inside of him. Steve’s knot is beginning to swell, the redness of it evident as Steve looks down to where he’s joined with Tony. This won’t last long, and that’s good, because Tony’s words are a burble now, spit leaking from his mouth as he takes Steve in long, hard strokes. 

“You’re so perfect and mine.” 

“Bite me, bitemebiteme.” His Omega begins to chant. It’s not something Steve had discussed, but he doesn’t need to wait. Tony isn’t going anywhere, but Steve wants his claim marked visible for all the world to see. The thought sends his orgasm rushing to his head. He needs to be locked into Tony, his desperation for it like a fist in his gut, driving him forward to achieve Tony’s orgasm first. 

“I will sweetheart. I’ll mate you. Just be a good boy and wait for me.” 

Tony cries, sweeter than anything Steve has heard before, and that’s more than enough. Steve shudders, slowing his hips as he pulls in and out, knot starting to catch at Tony’s seams. Finally it seats fully in Tony, and Steve tugs at it from behind before he nestles it in deeper. Tony doesn’t need anything more, and his Omega comes solely from the stimulation of Steve’s knot. Tony’s orgasm is a gutted, wounded thing, tears streaming down his Omega’s face while he’s slack-jawed and trembling convulsively. 

Steve reaches down in front of Tony, catching some of the hot streams of cum that jerk from Tony’s cock before raising his hand up to his mouth. It’s delicious, and fuck if he doesn’t just want to lick Tony clean. Tony is contracting around him, milking Steve’s orgasm into heights that Steve has never reached on his own or with anyone else. It’s hot, liquid inside of Tony, and it feels so good he can’t begin to imagine where his pleasure begins in Tony and ends. 

It builds, and builds, Tony’s hips canting back to push Steve in deeper, until they’re one writhing animal that exists in rapture alone. This is for him and only him, someone he has earned, and his mouth waters with a desire to bite. 

He latches onto Tony’s neck like a man starved, teeth sinking into the swollen gland on Tony’s neck. Tony moans, throwing his head back. Steve can feel the tightening in his groin from how his body is trying to push everything possible into Tony, even though he’s already pumped as much as he can inside of Tony’s tight ass. With a violent shiver, his body spends its last, Steve’s cock swimming in warmth. 

Steve is unraveled, and he suspects that he’s brought Tony with him. It’s devastating, this closeness and vulnerability. Tony is his now, in every way that matters. The mark stands bloodied on his neck, and his cock makes a valiant twitch inside Tony. 

“Steve,” Tony says, and Steve focuses on every facet of Tony then, using his spoken name to draw him into Tony’s curves, the divots of his spine where sweat has collected, the heart shaped frame where Tony’s ass meets Steve’s body. Giving it one last glimpse, he rolls them over to their sides, Tony tucked in front of him, a treasure. 

Tony groans, the knot tugging at his entrance, and Steve reflexively presses his hips back in. 

“Love you, Steve,” Tony slurs, and Steve’s heart blossoms, fierce emotion overtaking him. Their future awaits, and inside of it are hours that they will spend like this, joined together, bodies harmonious. It was all worth it. Every bridge burned with Nat and Bucky, it was worth it to have this. Every bit of his planning and effort. 

“I love you too, Tony.” It’s the only truth he’s ever going to need.

**Author's Note:**

> [My tumblr](https://fundamental-blue.tumblr.com/). I mostly post memes.


End file.
